fun meme

In order to keep my blogg from sucking your will to live :) I am going to perk up some.

I saw this meme on www.kaylynskitchen.blogspot.com and thought it was pretty neat. Id love to hear about your favorite MUST have foods. SO.. respond suckers!

give me a list of five of your most favorite food memories.. or your favorite foods in the world, I mean special foods that you go back to again and again.The eye rolling tummy rubbers..

Here are mine

1.King Crab... no, not just any king Crab. One summer I dated a proffesional fisherman on and off (in those days I dated a LOT of guys on and off)... in Alaska thats not a hard thing to come by.He often went to sea for days and days at a time and one day he called me out of the blue and said for me to drop whatever I was doing,grab some girlfriends and buy a case of Alaskan Pale Ale (a really yummy and VERY popular micro brew)some butter and a few pounds of lemons and get my butt to Homer. Homer is a fishing town on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska about 3-4 hours away from where I grew up. So being me ;> I was game. When I arrived on the beach there was a crowd of fishermen, and a huge bonfire.. on the bonfire were these giant pots of boiling water.. beside the pots were these orange garbage bags.. full of live Alaskan King Crabs. I swear I have never tasted better crab.. really better than anything I have ever tasted. It is litterally not possible to have fresher seafood. mmm mmm

2. Red Robin Buzzard wings.
Red Robin is a gourmet burger chain. I worked there when I was in college. They have this wing sauce that is SO good. I mean it is absolute perfection. There are things in there that I still cant figure out. Even better than on wings? They have chicken strips called "clucks" and you can have em tossed in the sauce. Then you dip them in the amazing cucumber ranch dressing they have? YUM

3. Phad Thai, Yellow curry over Jasmine rice,spring rolls and Thai iced tea from a genuine thai resturant

I know to those of you from more metropolitan areas this might seem less desireable. BUT we dont have a thai resturant. Not one.. not for 75 miles.. or even anywhere close.. Ive been craving it for 5 years. The person that takes me to a REAL thai resturant and not just a chinese place that has a few thai items on the menu would be my friend for life. Pad Thai is a rice noodle dish with chicken and shrimp, spring rolls are like super crispy egg rolls made on really thin wrappers. and yellow curry is curry made with coconut milk and chicken and potatos. Thai iced tea is a spicy creamy tea made with sweetened condensed milk.

4. Guidos Super Sub

In anchorage there is a pizza place that makes a calzone/sandwich that is sooo yummy. It has ham,turkey,pastrami, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard, mayo and all kinds of good stuff... I havent had one in 5 years. We used to order them for delivery on friday nights when I was a kid and all sit around and watch tv together.

5 Basically anything I ate in Italy wood oven Roman pizza, tuna in olive oil on italian bread.. fresh olives, cheese, gelato,tirimisu, I honestly cant remember eating anything I didnt love,

But most memorably Fish Florentine...
I have had in several resturants including in Florence Italy. It was so perfect and fresh and makes me shiver when I eat itIf its on the menu? I want it. It is a simple sole or cod filet stuffed with spinach, bread crumbs, shrimp..usually parmessno depending on the place and then cooked in some kind of lemon garlic white wine sauce. Usually served with some kind of pasta here in America.. I think it came with potatoes of some sort in Italy. I love basically anything cooked in lemon white wine garlic sauce.


sooo what are your faves?

Oh no Earnesto!

Here he comes! It has been raining cats and dogs here all day long. The wind is picking up and we are snuggling down here at Casa De Lane to weather the storm. We likely wont see much more action than what we are seeing now, but it sure is making for a messy day.

I am still having a hard time over the loss of our dog. I am not usually an overly emotional person, so this is new for me. I cant identify if I am mourning the loss of Jakey or the trauma of seeing what happened.. the pain of it for my Dad or what. Every time I close my eyes I see his happy little face..and then the scene of his death, and I cry.I keep telling myself to suck it up.. its just a dog.. puppies die.. things happen, its the way of nature. But it isnt helping. Im still so incredibly sad over it.

Things One and Two dealt SO well with it. Only a few tears from Thing Two..and that
surprisingly was over the loss of BOTH the dogs.. she felt compassion for Taynus.. the one who commited the crime. I was shocked, when my 6 yr old could feel such compassion, And I? punched him in the skull and ordered his execution.She is an incredible little kid. Thing One is stoic about such things. I remember when she was about 6 and her great grandad died. She tilted her head to one side and said "ohh thats too bad" or something equally as unemotional. A year later when Steven's Grandmother,someone Thing One had been very close to,died very suddenly she barely shed a tear. She is just more internal than most.

In other news about Thing Two, I am a little worried about her. She has something called "selective mutism" wich is basically a fancy term for "really really shy in certain situations" And it is getting worse.

It is debilatating for her in some situations. She clams up when men speak to her (and I know the first inclination would be to ask Who messed with her? She has rarely been out of my sight.. as a victim of abuse in my childhood (a teacher) It doesnt play out like that) and she REALLY freaks out over situations where she will be in a crowd or loud noise. Im trying to think of a way to deal with it, and to help her be more approachable by loved ones. Any advice?

RIP little buddy

I barely have words. My heart is breaking...

We lost our little Jake puppy today.I find it very ironic that I just posted his little pug face here a few days ago. He escaped his fenced yard and our guard dog killed him. We had been calling and calling him all morning,looking and looking and somehow he snuck by me,behind the house and tangled with the german shephard.I screamed and punched him so hard I sprained my wrist.I pulled him out of his doghouse and just blindly beat at him ... in horror at what he had done and in grief of losing our friend.I didnt do much damage to the great brute, but I wanted to kill him.... I still do...and he wont survive the day. When Steven comes home he will go wherever bad mean dogs go.

I'll have to tell the babies this afternoon... worse, my Dad who is at work, will have to be told. Jake was his good best friend. They walked and talked and played together every single day. Daddy had taught him some little tricks and Jake pined for him whenever he was gone from the house.Just last night we shared ice cream with him and he played with the kids..."speaking" for his share of the goodies. Going through his repetoire without being told in hopes of a scoop. I am having a hard time imagining our evenings without him.

I called my uncle to come take care of him.. so Daddy wouldnt have to... He burried him in our pet cemetary near the garden where he can hear the kids playing...and he can be close to my Dad.

recipe repeats and general news

hello kids. Things are pretty quiet here at Casa De Lane. Steven is working all weekend and Things One and Two after doing chores went off to play.

Our car is on the fritz.. really sick. Hopefully not TOO sick though. But for now Steven is driving the Mamamobile (My mom's van) to work. BLAH!


I am a chronic recipe repeater, so tonight I revisited the zuppa Tuscana that I made last weekend. It was a winner then and with less spicy sausage it was an even bigger hit. I didnt however get around to making any rolls. Store bought had to suffice.

This weeks menu is kinda boring. I found that it was exhausting to go all Food Network Foodie wannabe on the food last week. So I went a little simpler this week.

Chicken breast sandwiches
fries

Zupa Tuscana
Rolls

Shrimp and Grits (Im pretty excited about this one.. I got some shrimp on special and plan to toss them with some fried chicken tenders,mushrooms,smoked sausage and pour it all over some really creamy cheese grits. YUMM-O!)

Salmon Patties
Homemade mac and cheese
speckled butterbeans

Hamburger Helper ( ew. but the kids like it)
Corn

Baked Potatoes with a choice of chili and/or
broccoli and cheese

I am planning on working on another cookie recipe this week.Its never to early to get ready for Christmas! I lost my favorite Lemon White Chocolate Cashew cookie recipe so I gotta find one online. Im thinking it shouldnt be tooo hard. I just wish I could remember where I got that recipe from. They are AWESOME. I am also going to try and replicate the sweet spicy sauce from Zaxby's. That stuff is like ummm liquid joy. mmmm MMMM mmmm

Whats in Your Bag???

 


I got tagged to do this fun little meme.. and here you are.. what I lug around in my pocketbook.

gum,oragel(Thing One is cutting 12 yr molars and often has sore gums) carmex, a fuzzy purple pen (for obviously, no one should live life without a fuzzy purple pen) children's pepto (Thing Two has a delicate tummy) dramamine (I have a delicate tummy)
hand sanitizer, hairbows (until yesterday I had hair that was to the middle of my back.. today? right at my neckline AKK!) lip glossy, change, a little cash, checkbook, various ID and insurance cards, copies of the custody thingee so that I can take Thing Two to the Dr (they ask every single time If I have authority to take her for medical attention)various coupons and a little black bag that holds all the little junk and a mirror, it is embroidered with my church's name.

thats it.. sooo... Whats in YOUR bag? 

  

  

  

Bloggy parade of Homes week 4

 


This is my cute Coke kitchen. It is SMALL. Dinky, Tiny and otherwise LITTLE. But fo rnow Ive tried to make it fun and workable. As a cook I rely a lot on my kitchen table for workspace. 

This is our Pug friend JAKE

 


This is our sweet family puppy Jake. He is 3 years old. Ive been reading other people's blogs that included thier pets. I cant be outdone. ;) 

Foodie wannabe day 3

Hang on Brian.. just a few more days :)

Tonight I tried making Manicotti from "almost" scratch. (I didnt make my own noodles) It was tasty.. like a really gloppy and badly constructed lasagna. I have no idea what I did that made it all fall apart. But it did. Luckily it all goes to the same place. Im not even going to include the recipe.. since obviously it isnt a good one. Maybe I'll try again next time riccotta cheese is on special at bi-lo.

Ever find a product that you just LOVE? I love soap and bathtime and pretty much anything having to do with warm water and me being in it. BUT, I am out of my favorite body soap. It is making me SAD. I use Johnson and Johnsons Moisture wash with the amber/tan label(there is a scent with pink in the label..but it doesnt smell as good)I cant find it ANYWHERE. It has a pleasing yet mild scent.. and believe me with Steven's allergies? When I find one that pleases both of us I hang on to it..Bath and Body Works makes one he can pretty much handle (Moonlight Path) but I get sick of the same ole same ole.If you see some J&J let me know? I hate when I find something really good and the company discontinues it. GRRR

  

Snickerdoodles

Today I decided to give the girls one of the great benefits of having a Stay at Home Mom. Freshly baked cookies when they come home from school. This is a recipe that I saw on a food network show about a cookie competition.The dough is pretty sticky to work with, so keep it chilled. The cookies are awesome.They are moist and chewy with just a slight cinnamon flavor. You dont taste the cayanne at all, but I wouldnt want to leave it out since these taste so good.. it might be important! :)


Snickerdoodles

3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
For the cookie dough:
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/8 tsp ground cayanne pepper


In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.
To make the cookie dough, stir together the dry ingredients.
In a bowl with a paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add the sugar and continue to mix, then add the eggs, corn syrup, and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Chill dough 1 hour if it's sticky or difficult to handle.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Roll balls of dough about the size of a walnut then roll them in the cinnamon sugar to coat. Place on an un-greased sheet pan 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until puffed up and the surface is slightly cracked. Let cool on the sheet pan a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.

  

Foodie wannabee day 2

Today was my second day of fun recipes for the week. Yesterday (Sunday) we ate viking style.. (pillage the fridge) just kinda whatever sounded good.Just making sure to use up leftovers and not open anything new. I made some quesadillas and guacamole for lunch and Steven ate the leftover soup. The kids ate bolgna and were pretty happy with it.

Tonights dinner menu was

Scarborough Fair Roasted Chicken
Garlic smashed potatoes
Steamed green beans and carrots
yeast rolls

I hadnt planned on making more rolls, but instead of sourdough pancakes for later this week I decided to make frenchtoast casserole and for that I wanted some great bread.. so I made another loaf of the Amish bread since we ate the other loaf as toast with fried eggs for sunday breakfast.(YUMM-OH!)
This time I used WAY less oil and baked it a little longer and it set up a little stiffer.. wich I think was better for bread.. but too stiff for the rolls.. should have watched them better so they didnt get dry.

The chicken is a creation of my own...A few months ago, I was bored with regular roasted chicken and was looking over my spice collection. I kept singing that Simon and Garfunkle song "Scarborough Fair".. you know the one "Parsley, Sage Rosemary and Thyme". And I thought, hmmm why not? I created... and I saw that it was good.

Scarborough Fair Roasted Chicken

chicken (I use leg quarters since they are cheap and nice and moist)
1 tsp each Parsley, Sage,and thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary ( I learned the first time that Rosemary is STRONG. You dont need much to give it a BIG flavor.)
salt and pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400
in a bowl mix together spices
trim excess fat off of chicken
genourously salt and pepper chicken and roll around in a bowl to coat totally.
Place in a baking pan youve sprayed with pam
sprinkle with spice mixture
Roast until juices run clear from a piece of chicken youve pierced at the joint.

Garlic Smashed Potatoes
6 or 7 potatoes peeled and cut in half and then into 1 inch cubes
1 can chicken stock
2 or 3 large cloves garlic whole (do not mince!)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste


In a pot place potatoes, whole garlic cloves chicken stock and enough water to cover. Boil on med high heat until soft. Drain and fish out the garlic cloves. Discard. Smash potatoes with a masher until chunky. Dont smoosh them till they are smooth you want them to have some bite to them. I do not like them gluey. Fold in butter and sour cream again be careful.If you overmix them they will feel and look like wallpaper paste. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Tune in tommorow for adventures in Italian cooking..Baked Manicotti! I also watched a cookie competition on FN last night.. I might start working on some good cookie recipes I saw. mmmmm snickerdoodles.

  

  

  

Food week Day 1.

Much to the chagrin of my friend Brian.. today is day one of a week of food madness. I was a little bored with our recent dinner menus.. so I am spicing things up a little with some handmade, experimental dishes. I plan to make things from scratch and see how my family likes that versus the from the hamburger helper madness we have been experiencing lately. After this week I'll go back to my normal blathering about the day to day here at Casa'de Lane.

Today I made Zuppa Toscanna from a recipe that I got from Olive Garden. Its what Steve-o orders every time we go there so I thought Id try my hand at it. In a word? YUMM-OH! (as Rachel Ray would say)This stuff was fantastic. I cant say that I followed the recipe to the letter.. I substituted whipping cream for the heavy cream (it was on special) and I used chicken stock instead of water and chicken base.



Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

Author/Submitted by: Sonia Borges, guest relations for Olive Garden Italian Restaurant. Published 3/13/96 in the Minneapolis Star Tribune Taste Section.
Servings: 5

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Sausage links, spicy; about 12 links
3/4 cup Diced onions
6 slices Bacon
1 1/4 teaspoons Minced garlic
2 tablespoons Chicken stock base
1 quart Water
2 medium Potatoes, cut in half and then into 1/4 slices
2 cups Kale, cut in half and then sliced
1/3 cup Heavy whipping cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place sausage links onto a sheet pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until done; cut into half lengthwise, then cut at an angle into 1/2 inch slices. Place onions and bacon in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until onions are almost clear. Add garlic and cook an additional 1 minute. Add chicken base, water and potatoes, simmer 15 minutes. Add sausage, kale and cream. Simmer 4 minutes and serve



I also attempted Tyler Florence's Amish Bread recipe. It was good also. Being that this was my very first attempt at making bread.. I am VERY pround of myself. Bread making is an art.. It takes a whole semester at most Culinary Arts schools to learn to make a proper loaf of good quility bread. Someday, (when I am independantly wealthy and have nothing else to do) I plan to go to culinary school. But for now? I'll be proud of my food network bread. I didnt have two loaf pans.. so I made some rolls out of half of the dough. We ended up eating those with dinner and I plan to make toast and poached eggs for breakfst before church tommorow with the loaf of bread.


Tyler FLorence's Amish Bread Recipe

2 cups warm water (110 degrees )
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour


In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

I wish I was a foodie

I go through Blog phases. I go for long stretches reading about one subject or another. For a long time I read blogs written by people adopting from China... no particular reason. We wouldnt qualify for it at all, and arent interested in adopting for ourselves. But I am captivated by watching the drama of it unfold. Then I read tons and tons about people who own certain breeds of dogs, travel to foriegn lands, and make lots and lots of money.I also like reading blogs from other moms and thier adventures.

My latest obsession is foodie blogs.

According to www.Wikipedia.com

FOODIE: a person with a discriminating palate and who is knowledgeable in fine food and drink. The word is a corruption of the French word groumet, a valet in charge of the wines. It is often used as an adjective for meals of especially high quality, whose makers or preparers have used especial effort or art in presentation or cooking the meal, or for facilities equipped for preparing such meals, such as a restaurant.

These people arent merely COOKS.. I mean they make food an event. They plan all day what will be for dinner tonight and then immediatly begin planning breakfast.They go to green markets and gourmet food shops. They spend entire weekends searching for the perfect wine pairing and the most beautiful tomatoes. It looks to be a charmed life... of course they are mostly singles..or proffesionals with no kids.. or affluent couples with one wierdo precocious child... Still, it looks like a lot of fun.

Of course living in Dillon, (somewhat of a gourmet wasteland) and with a man whose idea of being gastronomically adventureous is eating a green salad that involves more than cucumbers and iceberg. I am limited.. BUT I am going to give a little shot to being more interesting with what I cook.

Heres a sample of this weeks menu

Zuppa Toscanna
homemade bread

sourdough blueberry pancakes
bacon

Rosemary Roasted Chicken
roasted red potatoes and carrots
almond green beans

Turkey Chili over baked potatoes

chicken quesadillas w fresh salsa

Baked Manicotti
breadsticks

Im going to make everything from scratch.. so wish me luck.. and enjoy the pictures..

Bloggy Parade of Homes week 3

  


This is my dining "room"... well actually its the section of my kitchen in wich the dining table is resident. My kitchen is done in a coca cola motif and it spills into the dining area too. The flowers in the coke pitcher are silks that we used in the centerpieces at my wedding reception and the dried corsages are ones Steven has given me for one reason or another over the years.In case you cant tell I live in an old refurbished trailer house. It is a 1978 model and in pretty unique. You step up three stairs into the kitchen area.. it makes it really interesting and allows for a really high ceiling in the livingroom.I love the BIG window in the dining area and am looking for the right coke themed window treatment. But havent found the right one yet.

Cant wait to see everyones dining rooms!

  

  

only on a monday

  

This is what my livingroom looks like tonight.. and where we will be sleeping to save Steven from breathing the mold spores caused by the water.




This is Thing Two's room.. where all the stuff that belongs in my bedroom was hastily thrown.. and remains for me to sort out...to save it from the water.



  


All Because of this... stupidhead waterheater... and all the wet that it allowed to seap under the carpet in the master bedroom and cause a breach in the floor.. wich thankfully my DADDY and HONEY fixed today with a LOT of hard wet uncomfortable work but thankfully without tooo much financial disaster. Add two babies to the mix and it was a LONG LONG day.

Im embarassed to admit that I had a total meltdown though. The kids were just home from school... I was leaning against the boxsprings from my bedroom that was perched against our loveseat helping Thing One do the PILE of homework she brought home today (thats another post.. but it seems like TORTURE for her to be doing SO much homework IN FIRST GRADE when its still to darn hot to even play outside when she is done.)And my poor Daddy broke the news that my carpet must be completely bone dry before it can be reinstalled. It could be days. I lost it. Curly Top who had gotten to hot on the school bus ride home was puking.. Em was screaming at the top of her 2 month old lungs and Eve was banging a toy on the highchair tray where she had been banished until the homework could be finished since she insisted on stealing Thing Two's books. A bill collector called... and I totally lost it.

I put my head in my hands and cried... not like a few tears, but sobbing snot producing crying. My kids just sat and stared at me like I was an alien... I think at that moment if an alien ship was in the vacinity Id have gladly hitched a ride.
Tonight things are better.. But I'll be so glad for it not to be monday anymore!

  

  

The end of an era

Today marked the end of an era in my life.

Most of you are aware that I am an at home mom that provides childcare for other children in my home. This began out of neccesity when Thing Two had a rediculously sickly winter. I was missing more and more work and it just wasnt good for her to be around so many germs as you find in a daycare center. When I left the childcare center I had been working at,a child I had been caring for who was just as sickly came home with me to escape the centers germs. This arrangement was more than satisfactory for both parties as it allowed him to have one on one attention at a reasonable price, and it supplemented my income.

Today the little man graduated.He is 2 1/2 and its time to go to preschool. We packed up his trucks and blocks and sent them home with him. He wont be back again on monday.

This has been comming on for a long time, and in many ways,I am ready for it. He needs more active activities than I can provide with my attention spread between two additional babies. He needs other boys to carouse with, he needs kids who can defend themselves to his rambunctious wrestling.He needs to grow up.

But I'll tell you. I did shed more than a few tears this week as today drew near. I held him a little longer each morning and played our games with deliberate care. As if taking a mental picture of each moment.I watched him sleep and indulged him with treats. I memorized his little boy smell and the feel of his soft hair against my cheek.

The pain that I feel at his departure emphasised to me the value of good childcare. The loss of private situations is to the detrement of our kids. Dont get me wrong. There are great daycare centers out there. Fantastic ones full of caregivers that are wonderful, educated people.But, the attatchment that I feel to him, and the good that being in my home did him is why I will continue to do what I do.. giving one little person at a time a safe nurturing place to be until they are old enough to move on to preschool

This evening The Little Man's parents came to pick him up and I kissed his little face and told his mom not to be a stranger. As they drove away he leaned out of the car and blew me a kiss.. screaming LUB YOU MEE MEE.


lub you too Dalty Ray.

Bloggy parade of Homes week 2

This is week two of the bloggy parade of homes! This is my living room. In some of the pictures you can see that I have the baby toys in a toybox hidden behind the chair.. I am looking for a wicker or wooden chest to put them in so they dont look like toys hidden behind the chair anymore.

  

  

  

  

Yankee chicken

My family comes from the midwest. Farm folk. I mean like bale the hay and chase the cows farm folk. Food in the midwest is quite different than traditional southern fare. Veggies arent flavored with "fat back". W
e eat aspargus and creamed spinach and avadacos.Mac and cheese is a MAIN dish, tea is (GASP) served without sugar or more commonly HOT.We eat foods like goulash and stoganoff and every casserole known to man. If you can mix some frozen mixed veggies and a can of cream of mushroom soup? We'll call it dinner! We have thick hearty stews and we eat oatmeal and cream of wheat for breakfast.

Add in my Alaskan upbringing and I crave seafood almost constantly. I grew up eating salmon and halibut so fresh you had to pull the lure out of its mouth to cook it.Ive eaten Alaskan King Crab on the beach in Homer. Ive picked wild blueberries and salmonberries and yes. Ive eaten Muktuk. (Its whale blubber.. its not pleasant really. Much like a fishy tasting rubberband that expands in your mouth as you chew it.)Alaskan Ice cream is seal oil whipped until creamy and then berries mixed in. Its not Ben and Jerry, but I can say that Ive eaten it. I say all this to explain that I am not a southern cook. I have mastered a few key dishes like the local chicken bog and can make a pretty passable homemade mac and cheese. I cannot however make grits. My collard greens are bitter. I tried red velvet cake, and it was a total disaster. I am trying REALLY hard to learn to make good biscuits.. but so far? not so much.

Mostly Steven has learned to deal. You marry a yankee? You eat yankee food. He gets it. But the one thing he misses more often than not is fried chicken.

Fried chicken in the midwest is different than southern fried chicken. Its rolled in seasoned flour and pan fried in about 1 inch of grease until nearly done. Then all the chicken is placed back in the pan and covered with a lid and steamed. Its not crisp. Its very good and is rarely dry. But its not crispy. Its just not the same.
I have watched my Father's sisters make fried chicken (his family is from right here in Dillon..) but I havent gotten it right yet. I cant get the batter to stay on, and I end up with nekkid chicken and floaters in the grease. I either get it too hot and burn the outside while the inside is bloddy, or I over cook it and it requires you eat pieces of white bread along with it to keep you from choking on it.

Whats a yankee girl to do?

She watches Food Network!The other day Thing One and I were watching Food Network (heh heh.. I got her hooked too!) and saw Paula Dean make this awesome looking fried chicken. It looked so great and crispy that I wanted to try making it.

MAN is it good. My kids are already asking when I'll make it again.And my little southern gentleman husband? He was SO happy. He keept looking at me and asking where I bought the chicken from.. or had his Mama been here today. YAY for me. Yay for Southern food.. (and YAY for Paula Dean!)I adjusted the recipe to add seasoned salt and garlic salt.. but Im sure she wont mind! Dont let the hot sauce scare you. The heat cooks out of it and it isnt spicy at ALL. The baby even liked it.

REAL southern FRIED CHICKEN.

1 chicken cut into pieces
1/2 bottle of Texas Pete Hot Sauce (the big one.. about 1 1/2 cups REALLLY!)
4 cups of all purpose flour
6 eggs beaten
salt and pepper
seasoned salt
garlic salt
about a quart of peanut oil

Cut up your chicken into pieces. ( I buy it from the store all butchered up and I added an additional pack of drumsticks)Rinse it. Its probably not neccesry anymore.. but it yucks me out to think of feeding my famiy chicken blood.

In a large bowl season chicken with salts and pepper. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
In another large bowl beat 6 eggs and add hot sauce. mix well and cover the chicken in it.

Heat oil to approx 375 degrees. ( USE A THERMOMETER. it totally helps)in a big pot. It needs to be deep enough to completely immerse the chicken.

Make sure the chicken is thouroghly with egg and then with flour.Really cover it. squeeze it a little to make sure that every nook and cranny is covered with flour. Shake it off a little before you put it into the oil.

Fry chicken for about 16 minutes. It will float when done.

Parade of homes

 

  

  


  


Shannon from Bless Your heart came up with this idea. A bloggy parade of homes. Every week we'll feature a different room of our house.Showing where we live and how... to begin here is our front porch. The one of trees is the view from my door. THe plant beside the door is a Jasmin... I may or may not have a child named that (hee hee) so my husband bought it for me for mothers day. This is our little "for now" home. We are planning a bigger place next year sometime. But for a trailer it is pretty cute. LOVE this game. Enjoy!